News Detail

20

Sep, 2016

Blue Sombrero Updates and Further Integration Information

Starting this month, AYSO Regions, Areas and Sections are now able to begin registering players and volunteers for the 2017 Membership Year (MY2017) using the free Blue Sombrero website. All AYSO Regions will need to transfer over to the Blue Sombrero platform in order to register players and volunteers for MY2017 as eAYSO is phased out of production at the end of MY2016. Fortunately, Blue Sombrero’s ease of use should make this transition easier than most system changes. But as with any system change, there are bound to be differences that create questions. Blue Sombrero’s team is ready and willing to help. Simply contact info@bluesombrero.comand someone will respond quickly.

Blue Sombrero’s platform is designed with parents in mind. It should be easier for parents to create a login account, register and pay for their children to play in any AYSO program, sign up to volunteer or to play in an adult program.

Volunteers will also see advantages to using Blue Sombrero. Blue Sombrero, AYSO and Verified Volunteers have worked together to integrate the volunteer registration process with our background checking vendor, automating the screening process for faster service. Volunteers can also specify which child they would like to volunteer for and the specific position or role they’d like to occupy. Meaning that if they have two children playing in AYSO, they can clearly specify for which team they’d like to volunteer ref for and which team they’d like to help coach, manage, etc.

Blue Sombrero’s key features are also designed to help Regions, Areas and Section administer its playing programs. Blue Sombrero has automated the “Reverse Serpentine” algorithm for team balancing and automatic team creation and game scheduling. Once the Region sets the rosters and coach assignments, coaches are given a team page to help administer their team. The team page allows a team and invited family members to share parent/player contact information, schedules for practices, games and snacks, as well as photos.

For team members who opt into receiving text messages, the system allows coaches to send updates through text messages, ask for RSVPs to events or tasks and allows Regions to notify all participants of field closures, weather related hazards, etc. Blue Sombrero also has a free app in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Further work will continue on the AYSO-Blue Sombrero platform. Blue Sombrero has committed to this partnership by providing additional integration tools such as a new online training site, providing a referee scheduler, a tournament manager and a Region, Area, Section board manager.

To access these tools, it all starts with the Blue Sombrero free websites that links each Region, Area and Section to each other and the National site. The National site will house key documents and policy information like our Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, National Policy Statements, events and program information.

Section, Area and Region sites should help parents and volunteers find information about their specific programs including: field locations, scheduled events, game schedules, Region Policies and Protocols and most importantly, local contact information.

For further information about this important transition, please see the attached FAQs or join one of the upcoming webinars. If you have any questions, please contact: insider@ayso.org.